Famous Obsession
by Omakase Shimasu
Summary: [Pairings: Makun x Taki & K x Sakano] Someone takes it upon himself to teach Taki a lesson about Obsession. Slightly AUish. [WIP]
1. Ten Feet Under

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Gravitation, its characters, events etc.   
**Beta-reader:** **Tex-chan**   
**Pairings:** Ma-kun/Taki, K/Sakanou   
**Rating:** PG-13 (changed rating because it doesn't get worse than the contents found in this chapter, really...)   
**Author's Notes:** I realize, after having finished the first chapter... that it's hard keeping them in-character. Not to mention keeping the story on track. I'm not too happy with the end. It seems rushed (as usual) but don't let that stop you from reading on. And don't think I'm bashing Touma, 'cause that's entirely Taki's fault. His thoughts, not mine. Either way, beware language, tasteless zaniness and heavy OOCness. (Seriously, I really need to re-watch the whole series again...)   
Also, I kinda made two certain blondes relatives. Don't ask me why. It was really a spur of the moment kinda thing. I needed something/someone to link the four together. Family relations made this possible as far as I'm concerned.   
Special Thanks go to my wonderful beta-reader, friend and top-notch writer: **Tex-chan**! I love you for everything you've done for me so far! You rock girl! (Psst, check out her account right here on ) 

_Words..._ - thoughts   
**"Bold words!"** - Mr. K's perfect Engrish

* * *

**   
FAMOUS OBSESSION   
**   
by _Omakase Shimasu_

**Chapter 1: Ten Feet Under**   
The four beige walls were bare, except for an occasional piece of random art scattered here and there. The furniture was a rich, warm tone of ruddy, dark oak. The wood, polished to perfection, gleamed under the rays of the mid-autumn afternoon sun. A pack of Marlboro smokes lay off center on a small coffee table positioned in the middle of the spacious room. A red lighter and ashtray rested next to it. 

A chirp. Birds chirped and flitted about a strong, tall tree outside the window. Brown leaves rustled and drifted to the ground as a weak breeze brushed by. 

Inside, the silence stretched and grew, until it almost seemed like a living thing. A trail of grey-white smoke escaped the end of a burning white filter. A clock above the large oak door ticked away the seconds, then, the minutes, and, then, the hours, as Taki watched -- a quarter past three. 

At the sudden sound of movement, Taki looked away from the clock and into the smiling, dark eyes of his 'companion'. Those eyes. Something within them gave him the creeps. He couldn't help but narrow his own eyes in reflex, afterwards, averting them from the man sitting opposite him, and putting the cigarette against his lips to cover his discomfort. Weakness. The end of the filter lit up for a second. 

The older man looked on, never taking his eyes off him. Taki could feel the man's stare, but made it a point to ignore him, this place, this room. His thoughts went, unbidden, to a face with the very same eyes, that very same smile, golden-blond locks, pearly white teeth... The uncanny feeling only became stronger. 

It had been 8 days since NG, or, rather, Seguchi Touma --- a devil in a golden-haired angel's disguise, had terminated ASK, severing all its ties to NG. There were no second chances, no questions asked, no possible way to make it back up with the help of others, no nothing. 

Seguchi had power like no man could ever hope to acquire. And, thanks to that power, he had smeared Aizawa Taki's name through the dirt, a warning, a reminder to all who opposed him: don't mess with Seguchi Touma. 

Touma had spared Ma-kun and Ken-chan, thankfully. They could still find jobs elsewhere. _Without me..._ It was only Taki, after all, who had messed things up --- his rage at Shindo Shuichi, the hatred he had toward the pink-haired singer. He had only himself to blame --- not that slut Shindo, not the blond bastard writer, not even the devil creature that inhabited Seguchi's all-too-womanly body. And he hated it --- every fucking minute of it. 

Taki knew that was exactly what Seguchi had been thinking. The smug man had visited him personally, at his own god-fucking-be-damned home, to rub it in his face --- the failure, the disgrace, the hold the power-magnate had over Taki. The conversation had been one-sided. The blonde devil's soft, pleasant voice had only added to the razor-edged reality of the words he had spoken. Once Seguchi had left, Taki was faced with two choices. Either one would brand his name with more shame, but, still, one stood out more than the other. So, he had chosen the lesser of the two evils.   
That was the story behind his situation. How he, Aizawa Taki, former vocalist of the top ten list band, ASK, came to grace the couch of a psychiatrist, who never spoke a single word, save the pleasant greetings and farewells at the beginning and end of every session... who didn't push, yet made Taki sweat like only Seguchi's pleasant smile could. 

After the blond had first come to him with the proposal, Taki had promised himself Seguchi could stuff his choices up his ass. No matter how much he hated the shrink smiling at him, he wouldn't break down and disgrace himself even more. Seguchi had no power over him here. 

But the longer he sat here, cigarette held loosely between his lips, arms slung about one arm and back of the sofa and leg thrown over the other, the silence stretching off into eternity, he realized. Even now... 

That smile. Those eyes. The walls. The furniture. The paintings. The room. Everything... 

Seguchi was here, tormenting him, every step of the way. 

His eyes widened in shock. A small tremor of his hand and the end of his cigarette, which had turned to ashes as the minutes had ticked by, fell, dirtying his black slacks. The clock struck four.

* * *

The door closed with a barely audible click. Or, maybe, the click had been loud enough in the empty hallway, but Taki just didn't want to hear. He stood there, just outside the room in which he had spent the last three hours. He'd barely registered Tamuro, his --- no... Seguchi's lapdog-shrink --- bidding him farewell. Seguchi. Seguchi Touma. Everything revolved around that man. Every time he thought about anything --- even something as simple as... as a fool glass of water... Seguchi was on his mind in an instant. 

Taki absently leaned back against the door, careful enough not to make a sound. His fists were clenched, head down, mouth hurting from the way he forced teeth on teeth. 

Silence. 

His eyes strayed to the spot on his leg where the ashes had fallen. A dirty smudge of grey on pristine black. A little, sardonic smile pulled on his lips, and he closed his eyes. He could almost hear Seguchi's sweet tone of voice twisting the cruel words the blonde devil had spoken to him that day, beating him down ten feet under, as if it wasn't enough that he had lost his band, his dream, his only joy in life to that sick fuck. Now, he was nothing but a file in the looney bin's archives, nothing more than a failure in everyone's eyes, while he could have been so much more. 

Trust Seguchi Touma to always make it worse, no matter how grim things looked. That fucking hypocrite. 

Taki brought his right hand up to his face, pausing for a moment before allowing his head to drop into his palm. 

If it wasn't for that writer, Yuki Eiri... If it had been anyone else, Touma wouldn't have lifted a finger, Taki knew that for a fact. Seguchi was a man who did things only for Seguchi --- and the man he loved. 

The silence was deafening. He could hear it drumming in his ears. He had to get out. Out of the building. Now. 

Indifferent mask in place, Taki brushed a hand through black locks, before shoving the clenched fist into his pants-pocket. His other hand hung limply at his side. Even though Seguchi forced him to see a shrink four days a week, it didn't mean he had to look any less dignified than he was before. Even though everything had been taken from him, Taki refused to be anything less than what he was. Is. 

"A-Aizawa Taki. Aizawa-san!" 

That voice. Taki stopped and turned, coming face-to-face with a familiar figure. Immaculate blue suit, polished black shoes, cheeks dusted with red --- the beginning of a blush --- big, brown eyes covered by owlish glasses, and black hair finished the thumbnail. 

"Aizawa Taki," the man said, bowing. "We meet again." 

"Really... I don't remember you." Unfortunately Taki forgot the bigger picture. The man seemed familiar, but the ex-singer couldn't place him. 

The man looked up, the blush truly forming this time. A nervous smile formed, eyes turning apologetic. He stammered and blabbered --- a nervous habit. "I-I'm sorry, it has been quite some time since we last saw each other and even so, we didn't speak much what with all..." 

As the words spilled out, Taki took the time to fit the pieces together into a complete puzzle. It didn't take as long as he had hoped. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew nothing good could come of the knowledge. "Seguchi." The name was something foul on his tongue. _Once again..._

The other stopped dead in his tracks. The big brown eyes widened, maybe because Taki had spat the name like that, or maybe because he hadn't thought Taki would come up with it on his own. Taki didn't know. Nor did he care. He wanted to get out, away from this building, this man Seguchi must have sent to check on him. Son of a... 

"H-... hai. I am Sakanou," the man said, his voice wavering ever so slightly. "Seguchi Touma is my superior and he sent me and--" 

"Enough." Taki made sure his tone of voice didn't brook argument. He didn't want to hear another word. Not one, fucking word. "I don't want to hear another fucking word about that asshole--" 

He turned sharply, but, before he could move further, someone grabbed him and shoved him harshly, back first against the wall. He quickly opened his eyes, pain forgotten as he warily focused on the barrel of a gun. Brown eyes widened, sweat breaking out as it registered in his brain. _Shi--matta... This IS a psychiatric building, you dope!_ Involuntarily, his hands clasped the flat surface of the wall, seeking any kind of comfort from the cold concrete. But none was forthcoming. 

"K-san! Yamete!" The man called Sakanou, Seguchi's lackey, apparently knew the gun-toting maniac. "You can't kill Aizawa-san! You heard what Kachou said!" 

A shudder ran through Taki's body. _Ka...chou?_ His eyes trained, almost automatically, on the owner of the magnum. Abnormally long hair for a man, pulled into a high ponytail, was the first thing Taki noticed. _Ma-kun... so much like him..._ Slowly, his eyes traveled down, to chips of crispy, blue glass, further down, to a row of perfect, white teeth clenched around the edge of a cup. It was filled halfway with a dark liquid. Coffee. Spots of dark sludge were visible on the man's white dress-shirt. 

The other hand, the one not wielding the magnum, which was still pointed at the space between Taki's eyes, held another cup, filled with the same dark liquid, almost up to the brim. 

Taki gulped. Mr. K, huh... Why not M for Mr. Maniac? 

More liquid escaped the first cup as the inhumanly tall man answered Sakanou, words being abused even as his eyes took a mad gleam to them. Taki was about ready to piss his pants. 

"Honestly..." Sakanou sighed, before taking the cup from between the man's teeth. Tall, Blonde and Scary didn't waste a minute to repeat his words. 

"He never said anything about not maiming him a little. What do you say, Sakanou?" K asked, in a tone of voice he might use if he was discussing what to order for dinner from the fast-food restaurant down the block. "He doesn't need... say, both arms to make it to the head-doctor's office." The magnum strayed lower and to the left.   
Hearing that did not do his bladder any good, Taki decided. He robotically inched his arm out of the path of the magnum's aim. 

"Honestly, K..." Sakanou repeated, as if chastising a naughty child. "Your ways and methods are far too crude. You're scaring the cr--" His big, brown eyes became bigger, if such a thing were possible, his cheeks seemed ready to explode. The calming hand he had put on the blonde's arm went rigid. 

K's eyes transformed to comedic dots, before he turned, excited at Sakanou's uneasy state of well being. "**Yes, yes, YES**! Do continue, dear Sakanou, I would very much like to hear what you have to say!" He inched closer, nudging his shoulder to the shorter man's shoulder, his prey forgotten in this moment of unguarded Sakanou-ness. "Could it possibly be you were going to say, 'You're scaring the cra--" 

"Creepers!" Sakanou burst out. His whole body seemed to liquefy, limbs seemingly having acquired a life of their own as they moved this way and that. Then, his mouth opened, like a floodgate. "Creepers, creepers is what I was going to say, how can you have had any doubt about it. Creepers! I would never consider ever using a crude word in conversation, that must all be in your mind, K-san. But what are we standing here for? Aizawa-san must be very tired after that intense session. I know I would be, after all--" 

K, still with dots for eyes, stood by and watched as the squid-Sakanou blabbered on and on about everything and nothing. Since the tall blonde no longer held the weapon trained on him, Taki was about to protest that he did not need a babysitter on top of everything else, when another familiar figure entered the fray. And this one, Taki knew. Very well. "M-Ma-kun..." What a relief! God did exist, although Taki was sure He hated Taki's guts. 

The older boy stood, hands on knees, heaving, panting, and sweating in the doorway. It almost seemed Ma-kun had run all the way from their apartment to this building. "Hey... Taki... Sorry, the car... 's in the garage... I took... the subway over... took longer than I... thought..." 

Taki broke loose from the wall with one cautious look in K's direction. 

Sakanou had returned to his own solid, lean self again. His face twisted into an expression of concern. "Ah, you seem exhausted." He walked over with his cup in hand. He put one hand on Ma-kun's back and offered the drink with the other. "Here. Something to drink." 

"Thanks!" Ma-kun quickly drained the cup, only afterwards noticing who had offered it in the first place. He pointed a finger. "...you're Shindo's..." 

A smile pulled at his lips, and Sakanou nodded. "I am Sakanou and this is--" He gestured to a frowning K. 

"**Matt**? **Is that you**?" 

Ma-kun's eyes widened, and, slowly, a grin, which reminded Sakanou, and even Taki, of the magnum-wielding American, appeared. Something took place, which neither Sakanou nor Taki understood, until Ma-kun burst. 

"**Uncle K**!" With speed he hadn't possessed a moment ago, the young man bolted over to K, who had already made a start towards him. Soon, Ma-kun found himself in a headlock by the taller man, both laughing like idiots. 

Sakanou and Taki were minor chibis in the background, blinking owlishly at the reunion of two blondes in the dark-haired population of 'modern' Japan. 

**To Be Continued**

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**TAKI:** Reduced to common background fodder. Just to think this story started out with me acting the part of local Drama Queen...   
**MA-KUN:** What are you complaining about, Ta-chan? I was hardly in this chapter at all!   
**K:** Are you insane, boy? Just look at what has been done to me! I have become a sadistic child... uh. And dear Sakanou seems to be able to control me and my weapon-swinging moods.   
**SAKANOU:** ((nice enough not to complain about his character)) Hello, my name is Sakanou (no last name as of yet) and while I was once a producer, before that I was once a manager, I have now been reduced to title-explainer. I am not bitter however. Because I know I am a favorite, bad things will not happen to me. ((fidget)) I hope. Ahem, back to explaining. **Ten Feet Under**, as we all know; Taki-kun has done some bad things in the past, and Seguchi-sama has been sure to give him 'proper' punishment.   
**TAKI:** Throwing me in front of a fucking car is proper punishment?! What the hell!   
**MA-KUN:** ((hugs and pets him)) You wanna go home/to bed? XD   
**SAKANOU:** Add the psychiatry sessions and the proper six feet have become ten feet. Under. I seem to have a liking to the word 'proper'.   
**K:** ((wraps arms around him)) It reminds me of you, dear Sakanou. Cute and proper. And... noisy. D   
**SAKANOU:** ((beetred)) K-san!   
**MA-KUN&K:** XD Muwahahahahahahahaha!   



	2. P For Pathetic

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**Rating:** PG-15-ish (hinted-kink-content)   
**Author's Notes:** Um, the only part I feel good about is the small outburst of Taki, which really isn't that much. Still, it felt good to vent.   
Well, I don't have much else to say... More Ma-kun in this one. Less Taki. More K/Sakanou smut. Touma and the psychiatrist make an appearance and oh hell you don't want to know what I did to Touma. (I apologise, I don't know what came over me and if I could erase the whole Touma scene I'd gladly do it. But, you know... I don't want to and yes that didn't make any sense) Oh and tasteless zaniness, don't forget that. Everytime I get somewhere angsty the zaniness will pop up in the most inappropiate places. Just a little warning.   
Oh, just a little note on why K refers to Sakanou as dear Sakanou. The horrific truth is that he's an American. I can't seem to write his lines with a hint of Japanese in them. So instead of the usual infamous '-chan' suffix I opted for the 'dear -name-' instead. 

_Words..._ - thoughts   
"**Words**!" - Mr. K's perfect Engrish 

Happy reading now! Again Many Thanks for BETA-ing **Tex**!

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**   
FAMOUS OBSESSION   
**   
by _Omakase Shimasu_

**Chapter 2: P For Pathetic**

The car ride back to the apartment was loud --- loud voices, soft j-pop music in the background, and boisterous laughter. Seeing Ma-kun --- Matt --- unwind after so long... It took some getting used to. 

The past four days, mostly, had been spent in uncomfortable silence, hours crawling by so slowly they seemed like days, in retrospect. The three of them --- Ma-kun, Ken-chan and himself --- had had far too much to talk about: ASK's demise and Taki's foolhardy actions, to name two. Still, none of them seemed crazy about getting it out in the open. They had decided to take it slow. Settling in and finding jobs had been first priority. 

Ken-chan had gotten hired pretty quickly --- a friend of a friend kind of deal, but nothing shady. Everybody knew Ken-chan wouldn't get involved in shit like that. Paycheck wasn't much, but none of them really expected more than minimum wage. Couldn't be picky now... Ken-chan seemed glad with the job, though. 

Ma-kun, armed with a smile and sparkling karma, followed soon after. Although Taki still couldn't see Ma-kun, of all people, tending a bar in downtown Tokyo, the blond didn't seem to care. He had confessed, the second night on the job, that he had begun to enjoy the buzz of people around him. 

Taki leaned his head against the cool glass of the window. _Whatever..._ He was... glad Ma-kun had joy in his work. His lips moved into a bitter grin. Fore and middle-finger splayed against the glass next to him. He remembered how mad he had been at them both that night. How bitter he had felt. They were-- had been -- ASK. ASK! How could anything feel as good as ASK had felt? If Ma-kun and Ken-chan had so much 'fun' in their work, then where did that leave him? To rot away at home, forever being confronted with harsh reality, as the seconds of his life ticked by, his mind running circles even when he tried to shut it all out --- the voices, his conscience, common sense, thoughts, needs? 

Taki had tried, really he had. That first day of job hunting, it had taken only three quarters of an hour for him to understand how terribly and foolishly he had underestimated the might of Seguchi Touma. Touma was God and no one ever defied God. It had taken only three outright straight-to-the-face rejections. Gentleness didn't matter, it only served to fuel Taki's rage. 

His fingers itched, craving the feel of a small, white cylinder. His lungs ached for their poisoned death. 

It had always been Taki's dream to become famous. He knew he could sing from the first time his mother had dragged him to singing class. She had had an obvious obsession with image, and had believed that after-school activity served to improve it. Her husband couldn't have cared less about anything in general. 

The road to becoming a singer hadn't been easy, not by a long shot. Stress and sacrifice had become part of his life. Smoking and poisoning his body was one of those sacrifices, at least, until he had achieved that spot on the stage. Thanks to Seguchi Touma, Taki had left his cigarettes behind. The blond had been taken with the slightly rougher edge to his voice, but further pollution had been out of the question. So, for the better part of a year, Taki had quit smoking. 

Again it had taken only a few simple words, a bloodied proposal, to take up the bad habit, at least one Marlboro pack always gracing his person, either at home or out on the streets. 

"So, if you guys are managing Bad Luck, how come you're here?" 

Ma-kun's voice cut through the haze of memories and thoughts. Taki still hadn't gotten an answer on that one yet. His hand brushed automatically through his hair, the gesture passing by without further thought. 

K's sober voice was low and penetrating, a calming, soothing contrast to the storm it had been a while ago. "Like Sakanou said before, we are here as Aizawa-kun's escorts." He paused for a moment, steel orbs gazing straight ahead. "Seguchi Touma's orders. Bad Luck is on leave, until further notice." His eyes strayed from the road as he stared into the rear-view mirror, straight at Taki. The younger man froze on the inside, but struggled to keep an indifferent front. "Due to personal reasons. You understand." 

Silence hung in the air, the soft music and purring of the engine heavy and loud all of a sudden. It stayed that way for some time, until Sakanou, quiet until that point, whispered, "ASK..." 

_--break the surface   
The litany you've lived your entire life, give it up   
Treat yourself to the better man, break the surface _

Don't-- 

"Stop..." God, his voice was hoarse. Scrape throat, try again. "Stop." His eyes found Ma-kun's. "Turn it off." _Please..._

"Taki..." Ma-kun wanted to protest, Taki saw it in the other's eyes. And, for the barest of moments, Taki hoped, with a fiery passion, the blond would. Would just come out and say it --- scold him, yell at him, hit him, anything! But the moment passed, and Ma-kun hadn't done any of those things. Instead, he turned and reached a hand out to the car-radio's power button. 

K's hand on his arm held him back. Taki tensed. 

"Ojisa--" 

"Don't, Matt." 

Ma-kun looked at his uncle, but the tall blonde didn't meet his gaze. "K...?" 

"A-anou..." Sakanou fidgeted next to Taki. It was clear he didn't like the current situation any more than the other occupants of the brown sedan. "W-w-w-w-wouldn't it b-be b-b-b-better if--" 

"Running away from problems won't get you anywhere," K began, his voice cutting like steel through the air. "No matter how hard you try, you will never escape your demons. And even if you do, they'll haunt you 'till your death. Don't push and don't pull. Accept. Accept what you have become and learn from your mistakes." With that, he released Ma-kun's wrist. The younger blonde rubbed at the sore spot absently. 

K caught Taki's gaze in the rear-view mirror. Chips of blue crystal met furious, brown orbs, so dark they could have been mistaken for black. "...Learn, dammit." Afterward, his gaze returned to the road. Taki could do nothing but boil in his rage as his own voice drilled into his mind, over and over again. 

The music stayed on, and no one said anything else for the remainder of the trip.

* * *

Once the sedan had pulled up in front of the apartment complex, Taki didn't waste time exiting the vehicle. He didn't wait, even when Ma-kun yelled after him. He just slammed the door shut and began a brisk pace toward the large building. He didn't want to hear... didn't want to see... didn't want to feel. Shit! Fuck Mr. K and his frigging fairy-tale karma stories! Who gave a flying fuck about that?! 

Elevator. Second floor, he needed to be on the second floor, and the button that would take him there was just begging for a good smack-down. Taki smashed it with his fist, putting all his strength into the blow, but the pain did nothing to calm him. The slide-door wasn't fast enough. It grated on his fragile nerves. He gave it one good kick, which only seemed to delay the process, and made his foot sting angrily. GOD! He fucking wanted to scream!

* * *

"Taki!" 

Through a haze, Taki saw Ma-kun reach the door to the complex just before the elevator slid shut. His breathing came in long, angry pants, his chest heaving. A low chuckle escaped him before he could force it back in his throat. There was nothing funny about anything that had happened, yet he wanted to laugh --- laugh so hard his stomach would hurt, laugh until he couldn't hold anything in anymore, laugh, scream, kick and cry. He wanted **pain**. 

Slowly, he slid down the elevator wall. This time, a sob escaped his traitorous lips, a sob so pathetic he could only think, _Prick! Pathetic... man. That's what I've become... Pathetic..._ He buried his face in his upraised knees, encircling his legs with trembling arms. 

Tears poured out of his eyes and Taki was helpless to stop them. Pathetic.

* * *

_Fuck, Taki!_ Ma-kun yanked the door open and didn't waste time trying the elevator. Instead, he skidded down the hall and rushed up the stairs, taking them three at a time. 

Dammit, but Taki had looked ready to kill. His eyes... Ma-kun was sure he had seen a red haze covering them. He had only seen him like that once before. Way back when... Ma-kun shook his head. No time to reminisce. He reached out for the railing to help him sling his way up the third flight of stairs. 

When he reached the second floor, the elevator was still halfway up the first floor. Chest heaving, Ma-kun waited with bated breath, right fist clenched around a small piece of paper. 

_Before he could dash out after the hotheaded singer, K had held onto his arm. "What?" he had snapped, only afterward regretting his tone of voice. _

K hadn't seemed to mind as he had ruffled his hair a bit, a familiar grin in place. "Call me if you need anything," was the only thing he had said, before thrusting his telephone number into his nephew's hand. 

Sakanou had nodded, a reassuring, but still nervous, smile gracing his lips. "Good luck, Matt-kun." 

Firmly holding on to the piece of paper, Ma-kun had nodded in determination. "I--" 

"Now **GO ON**! Don't keep the poor S.O.B. waiting!" He was thrown out of the car without preamble and, before he could get his face out of the concrete, the vehicle had vanished from sight. Good ol' Uncle K for you. 

The elevator announced its arrival with a soft ding, not loud enough to overcome the sound of Ma-kun's panting. 

The door slid open, and Ma-kun could only stare. 

Taki was crying. Crying. Ma-kun had never seen him cry before. At least, not like this. Taki was a mess. Something within Ma-kun erupted, seeing Taki, arrogant high-an'-mighty prick Taki, like this --- curled in a ball, bawling his eyes out, helpless and defeated. He felt fury. He felt unreal. The only time he had ever come close to seeing the younger man like this had been when Eiri had found out about Taki's plan to sabotage Shindou's career. 

Before the door could close on the sight before him, Ma-kun forced his hand against the steel barrier, halting its progress. Pause. Taki knew he was there, right? Ma-kun closed the distance between them and slowly crouched down in front of the dark figure. The only colors visible were slightly reddened skin of a hand and a flash of the young man's favorite purple dress-shirt. 

Some things never change... 

Struggling to keep his hand from trembling, Ma-kun reached out and stroked dark bangs aside to splay fingertips against soft skin. Taki felt cold, but strangely warm to the touch. "Taki..." He could only bear to whisper the name in the silence, which was broken by uneasy sobs. 

The younger man clenched his fists tighter together, holding the fabric of expensive black slacks in a death-grip. 

"Taki..." Ma-kun repeated softly, leaning closer and caressing the skin under his fingertips. To others, Taki looked unapproachable. The air of arrogance and holier-than-thou attitude served as a barrier between the dark-haired singer and the rest of the world. But Ma-kun knew better. He had known Taki long enough to see the younger man craved physical contact, just not exremely so. 

"Pathetic, Ma-kun..." A small cough wracked the trembling body. 

Ma-kun frowned, "Taki?" 

Taki looked up with a sniff, rubbing the heel of his right palm in his eye to expel any tears from his face. Tracks of light fluid traced paths from those eyes Ma-kun loved so much to the singer's chin, where they disappeared. "Pathetic. That's what I am, Ma-kun." Another sniff and a shaky hand through thick, black bangs. "P for Mr. Pathetic." A bitter little smile curled glossy lips. 

"Sleepy-eyes..." Ma-kun breathed. His tone was fond, his eyes smiling. It made his Taki scowl. Sleepy-eyes. It had become a personal nickname among the three. One Ma-kun was fond of, even though it irritated the living hell out of the dark-haired singer. He traced a finger along Taki's left eye. Several smudges of eye-liner came away with the gesture. "Prima Donna. Drama Queen. Bitchy pain in the ass. It's all you, Tachan. But never pathetic." 

"Moron..." Taki pushed the hand from his face and touched the spot where Ma-kun's fingers had lingered. His hand came away with more black, which irritated him. "I need to clean up." Having said his piece, he scrambled up, almost knocking Ma-kun over in the process. It made the blond laugh, rich and full, just like Taki liked to hear it. It was their way of closure. 

"I told you so," Ma-kun winked as he, too, stood. "Prima Donna, ever since you were a kid." He couldn't help but ruffle his friend's hair playfully, which pissed Taki off enough to earn a vicious yank on his long, perfect, blond locks. "Eeeeeeeeeeegh! N-not the hair! TAKI!"

* * *

K was a man of action, as in, "gun-to-the-head" kind of action. No matter how insignificant the reason, he had that baby whipped out and ready for use faster than Shuuichi was when tripped on speed. 

During K's latest outburst at Aizawa, Sakanou had been beyond relieved when the crazy American had had the good sense not to go for any weapons. Who knew what could have become of them? The man had been driving a car, after all. And no matter how many impossible feats K was capable of, the dark-haired producer was certain his heart wouldn't be able to take many more of them. 

_But..._ Sakanou couldn't help but turn a thoughtful gaze toward the handsome man sitting next to him. _K-san is K-san... I would never want to see him change._ Because it was that attitude, the air of danger and charisma exuding from the man, that had attracted Sakanou to him, in the first place. It was thanks to that attitude that the shorter man had been able to come to know him in a more personal sense --- far more personal. 

He could feel his face heat up with the mental images, and quickly looked away. This only served to attract K's unwanted attention. Although he couldn't see the American's face, he just knew a smug grin had taken residence there. "You're blushing." God, K was oozing smugness all over the interior! 

One of Sakanou's hands automatically moved to his tie. He fidgeted with it as he desperately tried to keep himself under control. "Y-y-y-yes." Smooth. 

Not satisfied, K pressed, "What were you thinking about?" 

"Ne, a-anou i-it's really nothing... really." Sakanou chuckled nervously, turning to face the tall blonde against better judgment. Of course, when K asked a question, he expected an answer. Reason enough to take out the heavy artillery. Before Sakanou could think better of his answer, he found himself staring down the barrel of an all-too-familiar-looking magnum. "AAAAAH! K-SAN!!! I concede-- I concede!" 

K laughed as he put away his trusty weapon of persuasion. "I knew you would see it my way eventually, dear Sakanou." 

The bundle of nerves that was Sakanou could only sag against the door in obvious relief.

* * *

Once the car and its occupants were settled again, Sakanou answered, his voice hesitant, "Anou... I was just thinking about Aizawa-kun... You were pretty harsh with him and-- well..." He looked at the knuckles of his fists as if they would be able to continue the little speech for him. 

Fortunately, K got the message and nodded. "You're right. But he needed it. The boy didn't want to see, he needed someone to make him see. I made the first step. Now it's up to him to finish what he started. He needs help, but I'm not the one to give it to him." He paused, and Sakanou waited with bated breath. "It was harsh, yes, but that's life." 

Sakanou nodded and leaned back against his seat. Once again, he was amazed with K's direct approach to things. He knew he would never be able to pull off something K would have all the ease in the world with. He had come to accept it as fact. He fingered his cufflink absently. 

Unbeknownst to the dark-haired man, K leaned in closer, hands never leaving the steering wheel. He spoke softly, voice almost purring. "...Tell me off, dear Sakanou. Talk dirty, cuss at the Gods, swear like a sailor, make your grandmother turn over in her grave." He nibbled on the soft flesh of the perfect shell of an ear. "Make me come." 

In record speed, Sakanou's head turned tomato-red before exploding in a cloud of white smoke. With the flick of a wrist and one cock of the gun, K had his sunglasses in place to behold the grand spectacle of glass exploding, relieving the car of a white cloud and its windshield. Survival of the fittest. 

The window-less car proceeded to race across the abandoned highway, the loud laughter of a certain blond American thundering through the early evening sky.

* * *

Seguchi Touma steepled his fingers and rested his chin against them. "I see," he smiled, all too sweet and innocent. "It has been four sessions and still not a single peep. I must admit I'm impressed." Wide, all-too-innocent, blue eyes regarded the man across from him. 

Tamuro Shinya, the psychiatrist assigned to Aizawa Taki, was a tall man with prominent features. A handsome man, by average standards, with short, purple locks and the most brilliant amethyst eyes Touma had ever seen. It only added to the charm, as he also had a pleasant personality, and was enjoyable company --- just one of the many reasons Touma favored the man above most employees. 

"But..." 

"It's not what you expected of me," Shinya said smoothly. He tilted his head slightly, "Is it not?" 

Touma leaned back against the soft leather armchair, elbow propped against the arm, fingers touching his chin. "I was merely wondering about the cause of the holdup..." To be honest, he had expected results within a week. 

A knowing smile played across the other man's features. He explained, "Things like baring one's mind and soul may never be rushed, lest the fruition of your result be less than satisfactory." 

"Of course." Touma felt like he had been reprimanded by his father. _It sounded like the things Father had said on the few occasions when scolding had been necessary._ It was a melancholic feeling, but not too unpleasant. 

Something must have shown on his face, because Shinya smiled apologetically and stood from his chair. "Excuse me. I never meant--" 

"Ah, don't apologize, Tamuro-san, please," Touma stood as well. Although his length was recommendable, he was nothing compared to Shinya. _So much like Him..._

Still, Shinya shook his head in polite refusal. "It is late, I reckon we both need rest after the hardships of the day. Ne, Touma-kun?" 

Touma's heartbeat was erratic. He could feel the insistent pounding against his chest. "A-aa... Tamuro-san." 

Bowing, Shinya offered him another radiant smile. "Excuse me, Seguchi-san." 

Touma fell heavily back against his chair, mind in a whirl, as the door closed quietly behind the tall man. _Goodness..._

It was not until the sun had descended that Touma left his office.

* * *

"Hmmm, you smell nice..." 

"K... please, we're in the hallway." 

"Let them see, dear Sakanou. Let them all see that I am with the loveliest--!" 

Scuffle. 

"Mmmph?" 

"K, please!" 

Grin. 

"Mmm... Did I ever tell you, you turn the cutest shade of pink when I--" 

Scuffle-tornado. 

"Waaaaaah! I-do-not-want-to-hear-it-I-do-not-want-to-hear-it-I-do-not-want-to-hear-please-please-please-K--!" 

A gunshot pierced the air and, a second later the door flew open, a white Sakanou-tornado flying inside and onto the floor with a muffled, "Eeeh?" 

K, shotgun in hand, entered his condominium with a laugh. "Now that I have respected my dear Sakanou's wishes and allowed us privacy--" One eye quirked and he quickly kicked the door shut with his foot. "...it's time for some well-deserved **K's Kinky American Noogie Time**! Do not go anywhere, my dear Sakanou, **be right back**!" The blond was a blur of motion in an instant and out the main room. 

The young brunette producer, no longer consisting of whirlwindy proportions, blushed like a virgin. He had spent enough time around K and his sexual cravings to figure out what the crazy American meant, and he knew it was in his best personal interest to make himself scarce --- real quick. 

However, he wasn't fast enough. Just as he was about to seek refuge in one of the large condominium's shadowy corners, preferably, where K wouldn't find him until sunrise the next morning, the handsome American came barging in again. He held a large box, with the straight-to-the-point title, "**K's Kinky American Noogie Time Toys**" scribbled all around the contours, securely in his arms. 

"A-a-a-a-anou... K-K-K," Sakanou stuttered, wide brown eyes glued to the box, which was... LARGE. 

K grinned widely, his eyes gleaming as he took in the deer-in-the-headlights stance Sakanou had adopted. He loved it when Sakanou went virgin-mode on him. "Dear Sakanou, were you going somewhere? That was very naughty, trying to get away while I explicitly asked you _not_ to go anywhere." He advanced. 

Sakanou sputtered and inched back in answer. Well, it wasn't nice. But... it had been purely self-defense. In all honesty, no matter how good things could be, especially if a certain blond American hunk took the lead, nobody liked having to wake up the next morning to the explicit pains caused by... certain... toys. Not to mention-- A dead end. Sakanou looked up in terror, feeling the hard edge of a desk poking in the small of his back, his hands feeling for anything to use as a weapon. "K-K-K-K-K..." 

K had other plans. Letting the box drop at his feet, he whipped out a lasso from behind his back. "Playing hard-to-get again, dear Sakanou. Two can play that game!" he laughed and began to swing the lasso like a professional rodeo-cowboy-clown. "**Let the Games begin**!"   
Gasping, Sakanou fell back against the desk, his fingers coming in contact with the apparatus behind him --- the answering machine. 

A beep. Then, "_Uncle K, please if you're there pick up the phone, something happened! Taki... Just... You said I could call if I needed anything. Something happened and--... I- I gotta go._" 

By the time the message ended, the door had slammed shut, leaving the condominium empty. 

**To Be Continued**

* * *

**THE CHIBI-CORNER:**

**TAKI:** I am dead, I just know it.   
**MA-KUN:** So little faith you have, Tachan. In any case, if that IS the case you know I'd refuse to participate in this fic any longer. leer-XD-leer   
**TAKI:** You are a fucking horndog, Ma-kun. And stop calling me that! Don't make me yank.   
**MA-KUN:** ((holds hair securely out of reach)) Yes, ma'am. No ma'am.   
**K:** I am not the hormone-induced sadist the author makes me out to be. ((sees Sakanou walk up to them)) ((XD-drool-combo)) Hubba-hubba-hubba... ((smacks self)) ...hubba-hubba-hubba--   
**SAKANOU:** Title-explaining time people: ...well, there is nothing to explain is there? All the explanation needed is within the story itself. fidgets That... didn't fill up my time at all.   
**K:** ((snaps fingers in mock-irritation)) Dangit. What rotten luck. ((rubs hands together)) Well, dear-Sakanou, since we seem to have extra time on our hands, why not make good use of it in ways of a--   
**MA-KUN&K:** XD Foursome! ((laugh like only Japanese-Americans can))   
**TAKI:** ((to Sakanou)) Let's take my car. It's faster and I just got a new air-conditioner installed.   
**SAKANOU:** ((looks from nephew&uncle-duo to Taki)) That seems like a fine idea, Taki-kun.   
**BOTH:** ((leave)) 

GUSH-GUSH-AND-ANOTHER-GUSH: 

**SAKANOU:** ((smile)) Greetings, **Silverone**. As the first reviewer of this fiction, the author thought it appropriate to reward you with a 'little something' (Way too much time on hands at the moment ;). gestures to the side Hopefully it is to your liking.   
**TAKI&SHUUICHI:** ((held at gunpoint by a smug K))   
**K:** Smooch time, boys. ((sunglasses momentarily reflects sun)) And make it good.   
**SHUUICHI:** Waaaaaaah! You're so mean, K! I don't wanna have to do anything with Droopy-eyes except for kicking his butt for what he did to Yuki! ((clasps hands)) Strong, handsome Yuki who came to my rescue when evil ol' Droopy-eyes was going to sabotage both our careers--   
**TAKI:** ((small vein pops up)) My God, doesn't that hole in your face ever shuts the hell up? No wonder the blond man-killer can't stand you.   
**SHUUICHI:** ((face swells up to balloon-ish proportions)) ((balls fists)) You take that back, Droopy-eyes! Yuki isn't a killer!   
**GUNSHOT:** ((makes both singers startle the bejesus out of themselves and turn to irritated K))   
**K:** I said. Kiss.   
**TAKI&SHUUICHI:** But--   
**K:** KISS!   
**TAKI&SHUUICHI:** jump each other   
**SAKANOU:** ((pops up in front of the two)) ((chuckles nervously)) K has a way of making people do things with a passion. Ehe. Ah, due to this the following images will have to be censored... since this is not NC-17 and can't be NC-17. Thanks for your understanding. Also, the author would like to express their thanks to all the others who've reviewed these two current chapters. It's greatly appreciated! ((bows)) Good day!   



	3. ASK's Bad Luck

  
**Rating:** R (ok, so maybe it won't change...)   
**A/N:** Haylo~ 3rd chapter done! Whee~ Aaaah, I was in a weird mood and I started writing of my own accord, not good~ Hopefully (now, I like this word) next chapter won't be like this. Just warning you ahead of time. Okay, there's like this huge spider on my keyboard, so I'm gonna rush. Practically all of this is Taki-centric, but whaddaya expect from a Taki fic, eh? Not much of a dialogue either... Ah, okay and um I was going to tell you more but I kinda forgot... (Eck, it moved a leg!) Oh that's right, still not much of a progress in plot, it's going too slow and this thing isn't even that big. Better luck with the next chapter, huh? (Ha, spider's gone! Victory!) Well, I'll let you try and enjoy the fic now. Happy reading! My beta-reader thinks she's not needed anymore, but that's not true! Iry, come back I need you dammit!   
  
  
  
  
***********************   
FAMOUS OBSESSION   
*********************   
  
Chapter 3   
ASK's Bad Luck**   
  
  
Shallow beams of dim, yellow light lit up a small part of the bedroom. Most corners and a large part of the west wall were still enshrouded in darkness. It was hard to see much of anything with the tiny night-light as only source to drive away the shadows, but it had to do. The bulb for the main source of light had given in just the other day ago and since light wasn't exactly on the priority list, neither of the young men had bothered to buy a new one.   
  
A strong breeze set the curtains of the only window in motion. It was promising to be a cold winter. Just their luck.   
  
Ma-kun couldn't help but chuckle in bitter irony. Luckily Taki wasn't able to hear him or his thoughts. Bad Luck indeed. The scraping sound of Ken-chan moving across the glass-strewn floor helped him out of his thoughts and he turned to regard the other.   
  
Even in the late hour, the other still wore those ridiculous sunglasses, the black glass glinting slightly as they reflected in the dim lighting. His face was drawn, most likely from tiredness, his dark spiky hair practically deflating right on top of his head. To Ma-kun, the other looked as tired as he himself felt.   
  
In his hand, Ken-chan held the handle of a vacuum-cleaner, the body of the cleaner in the other. While it's belly and the handle were a nice obsidian black, the top was - lo and behold - a shiny rich purple. It absolutely screamed Aizawa Taki.   
  
"You should be careful with that," Ken-chan nodded in the direction of Ma-kun's hand, while carefully navigating through the room.   
  
The blond looked down, almost absently, not really seeing the large shards he had picked up earlier. Even though it had been some time since he had started to work on picking up all the larger pieces of glass that would never be able to pass the tube of the vacuum, the floor right below the broken window almost seemed untouched. There was just too much.   
  
He stood up with a grunt and deposited the load in the dustbin across the room. Ken-chan had found a convenient socket to plug in the vacuum-cleaner, just in range of the soiled space of floor and was silently busying himself by pulling out the cord.   
  
"...how is he?"   
  
It wasn't necessary to explain who Ma-kun meant with 'he'.   
  
Ken-chan shrugged. More out of habit than seeming not to care. He was just like that, Ken-chan. His answers mainly started with the shrug of a shoulder. "Still sitting in the livingroom. Staring at nothing." He straightened and brushed a hand through his hair. Than added, almost unwillingly, "And smoking like a chimney hooked on wood."   
  
If it had been a different situation, Ma-kun would have laughed and patted Ken-chan on the back. That little gesture of brushing his hand through his hair was his way of physically showing irritation. Ken-chan was a hard man to irritate and even harder to make him show irritation. The only ones who knew about the gesture were probably Ma-kun and Taki. They still hadn't figured out if Ken-chan was even aware of it.   
  
But for now the blond only nodded automatically. The former guitarists of ASK both knew that a silent Taki was never a good sign. Taki had never been much of a pointless talker, but being completely silent and smoking as well had always been a definite no-no. Because a silent Taki was a brooding Taki. And a brooding Sleepy-eyes was a dangerous Sleepy-eyes. Many people underestimated him because of his size. He wasn't very tall compared to the average man, and while it was true Taki wasn't much of a fighter, his skill of hurting others lay in his sharp tongue and wits. He could lash out pretty violently if he needed. It was always better to be safe than sorry.   
  
Besides, Ken-chan hated cigarettes with a passion.   
  
Shaking himself out of his thoughts for the ninth time since the incident, Ma-kun turned to Ken-chan. "Well," he said a bit too loudly for his own ears, "let's try and get this place cleaned up a bit."   
  
Ken-chan nodded a bit warily. "Right." No shrug this time.   
  
Before he could get a hand on his vacuum-cleaner however, was the light in the room flickering precariously. As one, Ma-kun and Ken-chan turned to each other, dark and blond eyebrows raised. Light...? Only a few seconds after, a united lightbulb began glowing above their heads and they both scrambled for the night-light (their only source of precious light) as if they could save it just by standing next to the thing.   
  
Of course that wasn't the case.   
  
As the lights completely died, the two fell into a heap on the floor just two feet away from the nightstand, a cloud of dust marking their fall.   
  
Great. Cough. Really. Just great. Bad Luck right on their tail once again.   
  
*****   
  
As Ken-chan left the main room, there was only silence. A thick silence which did nothing to relieve Taki of his mood. He had tried it all. Standing, walking, brooding, smoking, lying, sitting... There was absolutely nothing that could take his mind off what had happened merely half an hour ago. Taki knew the cause of his turmoil. How could he not when the object, the cause of his inner turmoil, was sitting right in front of him on the low coffee table a foot, maybe half a foot away from him.   
  
Taki was sitting on his priceless, cool-to-the-touch-leather sofa, elbows on knees, legs apart, eyes glued to the table-top in front of him.   
  
Grey, black and white ashes were almost falling off the end of his... Heh, he couldn't even remember how many cigarettes he had had, even though the evidence lay right in front of his nose. A black marble ashtray, sitting demurely on the coffee table (it reminded him of the one at the shrink's - exactly the same), had brown little stumps and ashes completely cover the bottom. He couldn't begin to imagine how many butts there were.   
  
He didn't care, either. His eyes had strayed, unwillingly, to a large, filthy piece of red brick. Dirt and sand had accumulated around and under the slab of stone, the brick dirtying and scratching the varnish of his favorite piece of furniture. He had already seen a slight sliver of the original beige color where the dark paint had peeled. If Taki hadn't been preoccupied he'd have thrown a fit for sure. As it was, the brick and the table weren't of any importance at the moment. What had really caught his attention was the dirty, wrinkled piece of paper and the message written on it, addressed to none other than Aizawa Taki, lying undisturbed on top of of the heavy brick.   
  
Although there was no real identification - his name hadn't been part of the message - Taki knew for sure the message was meant solely for his eyes.   
  
A slow flick of the wrist and the ashes had dropped into the over-filled ashtray, small flecks of light dieing out as seconds ticked by.   
  
_"Bastard... Rapist... Shindou Shuuichi... Sadist... Whore... Failure... Bad Luck... Loser..."_   
  
Taki dipped his head, dark locks of hair hiding his eyes from view. Or maybe it was to create a barrier between him and the temptation of the brick and the paper lying on top of it, Taki wasn't sure. He breathed softly. A trail of smoke circling it's way in the air to the ceiling of the spacious apartmant.   
  
//_Well... fuck you too..._//   
  
When he had first read the message, he hadn't been as cool-headed. He had been livid. His very first thought was throwing the fucking heavy brick through the broken window from whence it came - Making a mockery of poetic words had felt so good then. Now it just seemed stupid... - and denying he had ever raped that Shindou slut.   
  
But Ma-kun, blond, practical Ma-kun and his own God-be-damned conscience had gotten in the way of his fit. Of course it wasn't wise to throw away the evidence that neither of them had purposely broken their own window. Their tenants were money-hungry senile old fools who thrived on seeking any kind of reason to help you off your money. Ma-kun always had been a pro in keeping level-headed whenever a situation threatened to get out of hand. He had also been the one to try and calm Taki and try to get him to talk about his thoughts. But he had finally given up when he had realized Taki wasn't about to talk about anything any time soon.   
  
Stupid moronic conscience just blabbered on and on about how no, he hadn't been the one to do the raping. But yes, he had been the one to bribe two nameless shits off the street to do the sexual assaulting for him. Two nameless shits, who could have been Ma-kun's and Ken-chan's long lost twins.   
  
In that instant Taki had also come to realize who had been responsible for the mess his bedroom had become. Those two had been the only ones who knew what had happened between him and Shindou, except of course for the pink-haired slut's posse and the bastard writer. But no, they wouldn't tell. Taki knew they wouldn't. So that only left those two.   
  
He hadn't known what he could accomplish with the new bit of information. And still didn't, to be honest. The only thing he did know was the knowledge he had already come to accept since the disbandment of ASK: how utterly and terribly he had fucked up. Big time.   
  
A slight ache echoed through his thoughts. Taki looked up in reflex, his eyes falling on his clenched fist, the white filter and lightly glowing ashes barely visible. Some of the grey flakes had flitted down on his knuckles and fingers, leaving tiny specks of red on his flesh. For a moment all he could do was stare. His thoughts blanked for a second, his mind than homing in on the pain and focusing on the familiar feeling.   
  
That was it.   
  
Taki pushed himself up from the comfortable sofa and stood. He didn't waver. With a last look at the smudged piece of white paper lying content and wrinkled on the filthy red brick dirtying his priced piece of favorite furniture, Taki turned and made his way to the small kitchen area. Comfortable pace, one foot after the other. One step at the time.   
  
Taki knew what he wanted. He wanted to feel pain, wanted to feel nothing, wanted to feel red hot flaming pain and abso-fucking-lutely nothing. The only place he could think of at the moment to get him the pain and numbing sensations was the kitchen. You see, Taki knew from experience that both Ken-chan and Ma-kun enjoyed alcoholic beverages from time to time. They always had at least one bottle of... well, alcohol stored in the refrigerator for their convenience. And Taki had heard from countless resources that alcohol numbed the mind. He had never been one to drink, not alcohol at least. The habit of rotting away his lungs was bad enough.   
  
The former leader and vocalist of ASK opened the speck and span door of the fridge to find to his satisfaction that there was indeed a bottle of... Taki took the bottle and bent closer to read the label. //Wine... Red wine...// Hmmm, maybe another name for rice wine, perhaps. He remembered his father drinking one cup of rice wine at nine PM sharp every day of the week. His father wouldn't allow him a sip, ever. He almost felt naughty as he closed the fridge and took the bottle with him to the counter.   
  
Being naughty... felt painfully priceless. A euphoric high.   
  
One bottle of alcohol, red wine. Check.   
  
As for the pain...   
  
Taki opened a specific drawer, the soft rattling of cutlery sending chills down his spine. He picked one of the big knives with the razor sharp edges.   
  
As he took the knife, a voice in the back of his mind whispered Ma-kun and Ken-chan would never let him go through with this. If they ever found out, their watchful and untrusting eyes would never leave his back. Like a naughty child.   
  
But he wouldn't be caught. Ma-kun and Ken-chan were too busy cleaning up the bedroom. Maybe they were too afraid to come out until they knew Taki's mood had settled somewhat? Besides, he would be careful not to go overboard. He wasn't crazy like that shit-faced Seguchi. Who did that queer think he was, telling Taki to visit a shrink while it was in fact him who needed the head-doctor more? Whatever... he wanted to feel pain and nothing. He would be careful. No cutting near the wrist and the main artery, right? ...Right?   
  
Taki looked down to see his hand, which was holding the knife, shaking, trembling. The tiny red specks where the ashes had fallen earlier still hadn't vanished. He could feel moisture on his palms. Sweat.   
  
The undeniable sound of heavy footsteps behind him.   
  
"Taki?" Ma-kun.   
  
"Taki..." A slightly lower voice with a rougher edge. Ken-chan.   
  
He couldn't move. He couldn't turn around, not with the knife still in his hand. Maybe they would get the wrong impression.   
  
"Taki," Ma-kun was moving forward. "Taki, are you okay--?" That slight catch just at the end of his question told Taki Ma-kun had seen the knife, the bottle, him holding the knife and the bottle of red wine sitting still undisturbed on the kitchen counter. Definitely a wrong impression.   
  
Ma-kun was on him in an instant, a hesitant protest sounded from Ken-chan who didn't know the situation even though he was right on top of it and Taki, not expecting the warm and solid form wrestling him for the big knife, dropped the sharp object. It nearly missed both their feet. Taki could feel it just lightly grazing the edge of his black slacks. Ma-kun had his arms wrapped around him, the blond's quick breaths stirring the hair next to his left ear. Ma-kun was slightly taller than him. Maybe two or three inches.   
  
He heard Ken-chan's startled gasp, small and quick. He must have seen the knife hitting the floor just between their feet.   
  
Nobody moved for some time. Taki was too afraid to move. He wanted to, to get Ma-kun off him, to get him as far away from him as he could. A flash of Shindou and his assailants flashed before Taki's eyes. He had taken only three pictures, because he couldn't stand the sight of the two unknown men doing what they did to Shindou any more than he needed to get the evidence. Ma-kun swung both ways. He'd made it clear from the start. Even though Ma-kun had told Taki he fancied the younger man, Taki hadn't minded the friendship. He just didn't want to be... 'that' kind of man.   
  
But... at the same time...   
  
//_Ma-kun..._//   
  
A gunshot. The sound of a solid kick. The slam of their front door against the wall. Only a flash of a second went by. That could only mean one thing.   
  
"**Matt**!"   
  
"Matt-kun! Aizawa-kun!"   
  
The Dirty Pair had arrived.   
  
*****   
  
Everything went by in a flash afterwards, for Taki at least. While Ma-kun and Ken-chan explained things at the best of their abilities (the broken window, the brick and and the letter attached to it), Taki kept silent and watched, listening while not hearing anything at all. He didn't want to think, so he tried to listen and not think back at what had transpired only a few minutes before.   
  
But everything was a blur, sounds mingling as everything flashed by in front of his eyes. Before he knew it, Ma-kun was pushing a backpack in his arms and the blond's strong arm guided him away from his apartment. Ma-kun hadn't spoken to him since the American and producer of Bad Luck had arrived. Ken-chan either. He wanted it to keep it that way. No questions from them and no answers from him.   
  
They stopped in front of a brown sedan. It looked familiar. Taki didn't know where they were going, but he didn't care either. So he didn't ask and robotically stepped in. The engine was soon purring gently and the vehicle moved out onto the street. Fortunately the ride to wherever was silent and quick. Or it was Taki drowning in his own thoughts again. Ma-kun still hadn't spoken a word.   
  
It was a building. A large building at that. Even the elevator which took all five of them up to the 13th floor was huge. A soft ding and the doors slid open, allowing them to step out into a hallway with soft, red carpeting. It all looked very expensive. Taki vaguely wondered where they were going again, but still didn't ask.   
  
The blond American stepped up to a door and opened it to reveal nothing short of a penthouse suite worthy of Seguchi himself. Sadly it didn't spark even a twinge of emotion in Taki. He, Ken-chan and Ma-kun got assigned sleeping quarters (one spare room) and it was all the information Taki needed to excuse himself and retire.   
  
The dark-haired singer knew Ma-kun would find the perfect opportunity to exploit the privacy of their shared bedroom, so when he was alone Taki hurried through the ritual of washing and dressing for bed before feigning sleep on the grand-size four-poster bed.   
  
Ma-kun never came.   
  
Taki was still awake when the clock on the nightstand next to the bed read 3:57 AM. Lights died out in the apartment, but still Ma-kun hadn't come. Even when the clock changed to 5:00 AM.   
  
Curled into a ball, Taki seemed very small on the huge expanse of bed. It was cold. Far too cold.   
  
His hand curled into a fist next to his head. //_Ma-kun... where are you...?_//   
  
**End of Chapter 3**   
  
  
  
  
  
  
**THE CHIBI-CORNER:**   
  
**NOTICEBOARD:** Chibi-Vacation in Chibi-World. Bai bai!   
**TUMBLEWEED:** *rolls by*   
  
  
  
**THE REVIEW-CORNER:**   
  
**Silverone:** Yes, you're absolutely right, Taki-angst is the best and very addictive, heh heh! Hopefully I didn't go overboard in this chappie, though... Ah well, ^ ^ Thank You~ for admonishing people to read the fic. Very much appreciated!   
  
**Yami Tsuki:** Yay! Another Ma-kun/Taki lover! Thank you muchies for the review and hopefully I won't be disappointing you with my slow update-rate ^ ^;;;.   
  
**Tex-chan:** Hee hee, Wednesday like I promised, ne? So sorry for not having more K in here, but I promise I'll have more of the handsome stud in following chappies ^ ^. Thank you so much for the kind words and be sure to keep an eye out for incoming mail this evening!   
  
**Omakase Shimasu:** Eheh... due to my laziness I haven't even begun fourth chapter, so there aren't any spoilers for me to entice you this time. (Honestly, who's looking out for spoilers anyway?) But I promise I'll have fourth chappie out as soon as possible, hopefully it will be next week (tops). ^ ^ 'Till then!   



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